Fire season on the way

Friday

May 3, 2013 at 11:16 AMMay 3, 2013 at 11:21 AM

With record-low precipitation levels across the region since January, the outlook for the 2013 wildfire season is looking grim, but the Klamath National Forest’s (KNF) fire fighting branch is gearing up to full capacity to ensure swift, safe and effective response capabilities.

John Bowman

With record-low precipitation levels across the region since January, the outlook for the 2013 wildfire season is looking grim, but the Klamath National Forest’s (KNF) fire fighting branch is gearing up to full capacity to ensure swift, safe and effective response capabilities.

Predictive Services, a national fire risk modeling and forecasting service has predicted, “Across the western U.S., fire season is likely to occur somewhat earlier than normal in most areas due to the effect severe drought has had on fuel dryness early in the season. Worsening conditions in California could accelerate the onset of fire season and the potential for significant fires in May, nearly a month ahead of schedule.”

Conditions are so dry in the KNF that prescribed burns have already been suspended for the season, though about 60 percent of the planned burning has been completed, according to KNF Forest Fire Chief Ed Guzman.

In some areas of California, the fire season has already started. A small amount of smoke was already visible on Thursday morning over Shasta Valley, likely from a wildfire in the Chico area. Guzman said two engines were dispatched from KNF to assist on that fire.

KNF Forest Supervisor Patty Grantham said the condition of forest fuels has already reached “June-like” levels of dryness, another indicator of an accelerated fire season. She added that north-state precipitation from January through April has been the lowest since 1964, pointing out that there have been a lot of big fires on the KNF since 1964.

But Grantham assures that KNF preparations for the season are already in full-swing.

The KNF will have 12 engines, 12 prevention patrols, two hot shot crews, three helicopters, one fixed-wing air attack plane, a 20-person initial attack crew and three ten-person fire crews. Crews are already preparing and training.

Grantham said that while budget and staffing levels have not been increased for the season as of now, the firefighting community in the Klamath region is very tight and symbiotic. She said CAL FIRE and local fire departments are always ready to assist when extra help is needed on local wildfires. “We stick together,” she said of the various firefighting crews in the region.

She also explained that while individual national forest fire crews are not usually beefed up before especially dry seasons, the national network of U.S. Forest Service crews is continually being shifted from low priority areas to high priority areas of the nation as the need arises.

On the other hand, Grantham said, “There’s a saying in firefighting that you ‘fight the fire you’ve got.’” She said because the fire season in California typically starts in the southern part of the state, crews will likely be utilized to protect forests and communities in the south first.

She hopes that, if the KNF does have a severe fire season, the nation’s crews won’t already be engaged elsewhere when they are needed here.

Guzman said KNF also has a community liaison program that utilizes private citizens to serve as a prevention and education resource in remote rural communities where wildfires are a bigger threat to homes.

According to Granthem, “If you give me a choice between protecting forest land and somebody’s life and home, I don’t think there’s much of a choice.” But she added that, contrary to some public perception, there has been no shift toward a “let it burn” policy in the U.S. Forest Service this year. She said the agency’s policy is always to aggressively attack any wildfire immediately in an effort to put it out if possible. She said 98 percent of fire ignitions are extinguished quickly but a small percentage become the large fires that the public is aware of.

Grantham worked her way up the ladder as a firefighter in the early days of her career. She was one of the first female fire crew bosses in the 1980s and says she has learned a lot about fighting fires from her on-the-ground experience. She also feels that the KNF has learned a lot about fighting fires over time and has gotten better at safety, efficiency and effectiveness over the years.

According to Grantham, the percentage of wildfires on the KNF started by humans is typically lower than many other areas, though last year’s fire season was worse than usual for human-caused fires.

She said public education and prevention is one of the most important tools available to minimize wildfires. Following regulations about campfires, dooryard burning, firewood cutting and other outdoor activities is of utmost importance, she added.

Guzman recommends that wood cutters do their cutting early in the season and early in the morning when the air is cooler and more moist. He said this summer may have many days where cutting is not allowed at all so wood cutters should get their supply now before it’s too late.

While the current conditions do have Grantham and her staff concerned that the 2013 wildfire season could be a tough one, she said the KNF is doing everything in its power to prepare and her agency, as well as cooperating agencies, are well trained and well prepared to protect our communities.